


A Simple Critique

by Dammit_Hawke



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-13
Updated: 2016-02-13
Packaged: 2018-05-20 02:07:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5988448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dammit_Hawke/pseuds/Dammit_Hawke
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Professionallilbrocarverhawke prompted:<br/>"what about cassandra/varric, cass is an aspiring romance writer, varric is her favorite writer who reads a sample of her writing. it's terrible, absolutely awful, but she's just so enthusiastic about it... (being really hot and exactly his type doesnt help)"</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Simple Critique

**Author's Note:**

> No one lies to Cassandra.

Varric is entirely used to borrowing flash drives from Hawke. They’re never  _ shaped _ like flash drives. He’s counted seven that seem like very convincing food products, ten animals, thirteen dragons, and at least a dozen bits of male and female genitalia with varying degrees of detail.

 

When Cassandra hands him the normal rectangular stick and apologizes that it’s red, he has to work to repress a laugh.

 

He fails.

 

“You told me to bring you a copy.” She crosses her arms, confused and definitely defensive. “If you were not sincere about-”

 

“No, no- It’s not you.” Varric forces a cough, trying to sober up. “It’s nothing, I swear. Something my roommate said.”

 

Cassandra presses her lips together doubtfully, but doesn’t push it. The thumb drive slips easily into the computer (on the third try). Within moments, Varric has the document open and begins silently reading it.

 

Cassandra watching him, standing as still as a stone statue. It’s tempting to ask her to take a seat while she waits -- there’s plenty of room on the couch or ottoman -- but Varric stays silent, covering his mouth with his hand. His glasses sit on the tip of his nose, reflecting the white document back at him.

 

He coughs once, five minutes in.

 

Then another time, thirteen minutes in.

 

And two more times before half an hour has passed.

 

After fortyseven minutes, he finally takes his reading glasses off slowly, clears his throat, and places the laptop on the coffee table between himself and Cassandra. He folds his hands under his chin, looking up at the ceiling instead of at her.

 

She waits five more minutes.

 

“Well.” Varric breaks the silence. “First draft, you said?”

 

“More or less.” She doesn’t fidget. Cassandra never fidgets. Not even when waiting for Varric Tethris to pass judgement on her.

 

It’s impressive.

 

He finally looks at her, studies her a long moment. Letting his eyes slip over her steely posture and hard set face is all he can do to stall, hoping she interprets it as him taking his time to think.

 

“And you wrote this yourself?”

 

“Of course.”

 

Maker, does he need to think.

 

The writing was… awful. Honestly, he never would have expected words like “love cave” and “pulsing manmeat” to be written by someone like Cassandra. Certainly not “DNA rifle” and “holy rod”. Nothing like that belonged in any piece of literature, no matter how smutty the content.

 

But he can’t say that, can he?

 

_ ‘Just lie, Varric,’ _ A little voice whispers in his head.

 

‘ _ I can’t; she’d know.’ _

 

She was so excited for him to read her piece. He’d overheard he just after agreeing to it, telling someone quietly on the phone that  _ the _ Varric Tethris was going to critique her writing.

 

And her  _ smile _ .

 

Now, Varric isn’t sure if she’d punch him the moment he finished talking.

 

_ But I can’t lie to her. _

 

She’s still watching him expectantly, hands clasped behind her back. Any other time, having her hanging on to every word he said, waiting for his opinion, would delight him to no end.

 

He never thought he would pick his words so carefully.

 

“It’s got a good foundation.”

 

She straightens up.

 

“But it might need some… tweaking.” Better to just dive in.

 


End file.
